Read Online Firestar by Anne Forbes - Free Book Online

off next.”
    â€œAnother thing is that so far no one has been hurt, no houses have been damaged and as far as I know, no livestock has been killed.”
    â€œYes, it is strange, isn’t it? The only damage so far seems to be to the roads, bridges and telephone lines.”
    â€œDo you think the landslides are being caused by explosions, then?” Duncan said worriedly. “I mean, if they’re being triggered deliberately then the storms would provide good cover. Thunder would disguise the noise of any explosion and nobody would be any the wiser.”
    â€œBut why would anyone want to do a thing like that?”
    â€œWell, there are so many weirdos around these days, you just never know.” He gestured vaguely. “It could be some maniac that wants to restore the Highlands to their natural state.”
    â€œThat’s not as far-fetched as it sounds,” SirJames said thoughtfully, indicating the papers in front of him, “for that’s actually what’s happening . Look at the statistics we’ve been given on the numbers of refugees that have moved to coastal areas. To a great extent, the Highlands are being cleared of people!”
    Alex Crawford looked at the crosses on the map and regarded Sir James with alarm. “Good heavens ,” he said, “you could be right, at that!”
    â€œHavers,” one of the men snorted. “I just can’t believe that people are going round causing landslides all over the place. They’d be spotted for a start! Strangers in the Highlands stand out like sore thumbs, especially shady looking characters!” He leant back in his chair and looked round the table. “There’s still the odd bit of cattle rustling that goes on from time to time and the farmers are wary. Besides which, mining the hillside so that roads and bridges are blocked wouldn’t only take a lot of skill — it’d need unbelievable luck!”
    â€œIt’s much more likely to be the Cri’achan,” agreed Malcolm MacLeod with a laugh.
    â€œThe who?”
    â€œThe Cri’achan,” Malcolm repeated, “the stone giants.”
    â€œYou must be joking!”
    â€œThat fellow in Sutherland said he saw one …” Malcolm said reasonably.
    â€œFaery tales!” snorted Duncan.
    â€œCome, now. Haven’t you ever heard of the Old Man of the Mountains?”
    â€œWell, yes, vaguely …”
    â€œHe was King of the Cri’achan, the stone giants,”Malcolm explained. “The story goes that they walked the Highlands for hundreds of years until they tired and when they slept, the mountains captured them, covered them with soil and rocks and made them part of themselves. But legend has always had it that the Cri’achan are still there, asleep on the slopes of the glens and that one day they’ll wake and walk the mountains again.”
    â€œAnd you think that one of them has woken up?”
    â€œMore than one, by the sound of things,” Malcolm said.
    â€œThis is altogether ridiculous!” Duncan said loudly. “I can’t believe that we’re all sitting here listening to such a load of old … er … nonsense. I don’t believe a word of it! Stone giants! Whatever next, for goodness sake!”
    Many of those around the table looked doubtful and the chairman, too, shook his head in disbelief .
    â€œI don’t know,” Sir James said, “crofters are generally a pretty hard-headed lot. I think he definitely saw something. Maybe it wasn’t really a stone giant but it could have been an accident of the weather that loosened the side of a hill and made him think there was one.”
    â€œYou’re probably right, James,” Malcolm admitted , “and, really, I was only joking about the Cri’achan.”
    â€œLet’s keep it that way,” the chairman said brusquely. “If the press gets wind of stone giants tramping through the